Libraries invest millions of dollars annually in commercially produced research databases. How can affordable, persistent access to these costly digital resources be ensured? What specific archiving and replacement provisions do the various database publishers currently offer? Is persistence now a standard to be expected? What innovations can libraries and researchers expect in the near future?

CRL has provided access to major collections of humanities and social science documentation for North American research libraries for over sixty years. Reflecting researchers' growing reliance upon collections in electronic format, this CRL-sponsored preconference brings together representatives of digital repositories, database publishers, and collection development experts to discuss what is needed to achieve sustainable archiving of digital materials, and how that has changed over the past few years.